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Cavendish downplays Armstrong impact

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"Quintana is a very strong climber and I wasn't expecting him to go from as far as he did but hats off to him. He did a great ride and he showed how strong he is."

Despite the gruelling end to the stage, Froome and Quintana -- one to watch for the future -- had time for a quick chat.

"In the last (1.2 miles) he was fading a little and I still had a little bit left," said Froome. "I was just trying to say, 'Man, come on just a little bit more, we're almost there.' But he was slipping behind.

"Near the end I don't think that I attacked. It was just that he couldn't ride on my wheel anymore and a gap opened up."

On Friday, Froome saw his lead cut to under three minutes by Belkin's Bauke Mollema and Saxo-Tinkoff's Alberto Contador.

After Sunday, though, he leads Mollema by four minutes, 14 seconds and two-time winner Contador by 4:25.